Techman said:
[ I still find it a strange question or perhaps more accurately put, a worrying question.
Also,
"However looking at the diagrams of the pitch and rudder control, it appears that hydraulic systems are still required for mechanical backup for the rudder and THS, mechanical backup is a backup to the flight control computers, not the hydraulic systems."
Shows, at least to me, the level of system understanding required these days as worrying. ]
1) Based on where the industry has been & the downward trend in pilot salarys - worrying & following the QRH is all yer gonna get when your world comes unstuck ..
2) Boeing & AIRBUS training has made it clear that they really dont want pilots to have too much systems knowledge b/c they dont want pilots troubleshooting problems in the air
3) All modern Fly By Wire flight control systems & cockpit commonality reinforce these ideas - by making low time, low skilled pilots viable and competitant on the flight deck - regardless if the last thing they operated was a bicycle in Tenneman square ..
4) you know, they say the light deckof the future will have a dog and a pilot - the pilots job will be to feed the dog & the dogs job is to bite the pilot if he tries to operate the controls ..